When you first started your content marketing efforts, you probably didn’t know how hard it would be, right?

You have probably done tons of research, and spent an ungodly number of hours writing, editing, rewriting and hoping for the best. You may have found some initial success with your blog and content mediums.

But you want to go farther, and you’re not sure how.

In order to supercharge your content efforts, you will need to go beyond the fundamentals. You will need to implement best practices that will get your readers more engaged. This is how you will build your audience.

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Small Business Content Marketing Ideas

The tips in this article will give you some ways you can take your content to the next level.

Be A Storyteller

It’s not enough to simply write content that informs your readers. Sure, it’s important to make sure that you’re providing value, but you need to do it in a way that helps your readers digest the information you’re giving. This is where storytelling comes in.

Storytelling is one of the most effective ways to get your point across while making sure your readers don’t leave your site before they finish consuming your content. A Stanford University study has shown that people remember stories 22 times more than just straight facts.

When you’re writing blog posts, recording podcasts, or shooting videos, try to include a story or two. Tell your readers about a situation where you solved a problem for a customer. Or maybe you could tell a story about how you made a mistake that relates to what your reader is dealing with. Not only will stories make you more relatable, they will make it easier to connect with your audience.

Repurpose Your Old Content

The prevailing wisdom when it comes to content marketing is that you’re always creating new content. The success of your content strategy is dependent on creating content on a consistent basis.

It makes sense. After all, how will you keep your readers if you’re not regularly putting out content they want to read?

However, while creating new content is important, one of the most effective tools you have at your disposal is your old content. Don’t think that a particular piece of content isn’t valuable just because you wrote it a year ago. You could be missing out on a lucrative opportunity to repurpose your content.

If you check the analytics on your site, you can see which posts are the most popular. Chances are, some of your older content will be on that list. You can take those posts and add to them, or even present them in a different medium.

Let’s say you wrote an incredibly popular blog posts awhile ago. You might consider presenting the information given in the post through a video, or an audio broadcast. Another way to repurpose it would be to create an infographic. If your content was popular in one medium, chances are, it’ll pay off if you present it in another form.

If you’re going to repurpose content, here’s a word of warning. If your posts are optimized for SEO (and they should be), make sure you are careful about how you target your keywords. The Google Maccabees update is now punishing sites that create multiple forms of content that focus on the same keyword — even if you’re using variations of that keyword.

Write A Series

People love to read a good series. As a matter of fact, creating serial content is a great way to keep people coming back for more.

Sometimes, one post isn’t enough to provide the information your readers need. In this case, it’s best to break it up into two or three entries. This technique is even more effective when used in conjunction with storytelling. If you tell your story well, people will be anticipating the next entry in your series.

Get Ideas From Your Competition

Have you ever wondered how other companies in your industry get their customers? Well, they all have websites, right? Sometimes, it’s a good idea to analyze the content your competition is putting out.

You don’t want to copy the content other companies are making. That will just turn you into another “me too” brand. Of course, if you can do what they are doing, but better, then go for it. The idea is to look at the type of content they are creating. When you find something that works, use it.

You also want to look at what your competition isn’t doing. Is there a need they are not filling? If there is an important topic that other companies aren’t addressing enough, you can be the one to fill that void.

Borrow Someone Else’s Authority

If you’re not already doing this, you need to start immediately. This is especially useful if you’re not already a known authority in your field.

If your brand isn’t already established, you can use someone else’s authority to earn credibility with your readers. As a matter of fact, this is a great technique to use even if you are a prominent player in your industry. And the best part? It’s so easy to do.

When you’re giving advice or making a claim, include a quote from an expert that supports the point you’re making. Let’s say you’re writing a post about self-motivation. You might include a quote from Tony Robbins that backs up your claims. Robbins’ authority will lend credibility to what you’re saying. Now, the reader doesn’t have to simply take your word for it, they can see that Robbins agrees with what you’re saying.

Final Thoughts

Mastering the fundamentals of content marketing is essential to driving traffic, search engine rankings and customer engagement. However, if you want your website to stand out from your competition, you need to do more.

The tips in this article will help you level up your content. As you put them into practice, you will receive a much more favorable reaction from those you wish to reach.